Breast Cancer Treatment

Options for your personalized plan to treat breast cancer.

There are many effective treatments available for breast cancer, and no two patients’ treatment plans will look exactly alike. We offer personalized treatment plans that are unique to your cancer type and stage, along with your priorities for care.

Your treatment plan likely will include one or more of these options:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Biological therapy
• Hormone therapy
• Breast reconstruction surgery

Lymphedema, swelling in the arms and legs, is an unfortunate side effect that can occur after breast surgery or radiation therapy. We will work with you to reduce your risk of getting lymphedema and to manage its symptoms if it appears.

As part of your treatment plan, your care team may discuss your eligibility to participate in one or more clinical trials. These studies help researchers discover whether a new treatment or technique may be more effective than the current standard of care. Clinical trials may give you access to advanced therapies that are not yet available elsewhere.

Do I need to get a mastectomy if I have breast cancer?

Mastectomy is required when a lumpectomy cannot be done. The most common reasons are if the tumor is too large or if the patient cannot receive the required radiation treatment.

Do all breast cancer patients need chemotherapy?

Not all patients with breast cancer need chemotherapy. Receiving chemotherapy depends on the risk of cancer returning and the need to destroy undetected cancer cells. New tests can provide valuable information for chemotherapy decision-making. The tests can identify numerous genes in tumor cells and predict how breast cancer may progress in 10 years.

When does breast cancer treatment require radiation therapy?

Radiation therapy is required to destroy any microscopic breast cancer cells in the:

• Breast after a lumpectomy operation
• Chest wall after a mastectomy if the tumor is greater than 5 centimeters
• Lymph nodes along with the breast or chest wall if the lymph nodes contain cancer